Source Segregation: Mantra For Municipal Waste Management

Punjabi Bagh gets Delhi’s first five tonnes per day (TPD) bio-methanation plant and one TPD aerobic composter to manage solid waste. This pilot plant can generate manure from the wet waste in 15 days in comparison to about 50 to 60 days in a natural system. Similar plants are planned soon in Sarita Vihar, Dwarka, and Vasant Vihar.

This news of the week is significant to me. I got an answer to at least one question; I am always confronted with during my voluntary work. Why shall I do waste segregation? Municipal Corporation is anyway going to remix the waste during collection and will ultimately dump at the landfill. These are some of the questions we are confronted with during our door to door campaigning in the residential colonies spreading awareness about segregation of household solid waste into wet, dry, hazardous, and e-waste.

Solid waste management is a major environmental issue not only in India but most of the world.

The United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development adopted the New Urban Agenda in October 2016. The member nations of the United Nations committed themselves to promote environmentally sound waste management and to substantially reduce waste generation by reducing, reusing and recycling waste, minimizing landfills and converting waste to energy when waste cannot be recycled or when this choice delivers the best environmental outcome. The New Urban Agenda is the extension of the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

What is the size of the problem of solid waste in India?

Let me give some figure. As per statistics of the year 2016, about 7900 cities and towns in India generate approximately 62 million tonnes (MT) of municipal waste annually, out of which only about 43 MT gets collected and 11.9 MT is treated and remaining 31 MT is dumped in landfill sites. Planning Commission Report (2014) projected that by 2031, the Indian urban centers would generate 165 million tons of waste annually.

The Indian Government came out with new waste management rules in 2016. Separate rules were notified for management of plastic waste, e-waste, bio-medical waste, construction and demolition waste, hazardous and other wastes, and solid waste.

Swachh Bharat Mission

Solid waste management is the top priority area of urban development and the launch of ‘Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) - Clean India Mission’ envisages 100 percent of the urban population to be covered under Solid Waste Management services.

My residential colony received a notice from the municipal corporation requiring it to segregate waste at source, and failure to treat and dispose of garbage scientifically will result into penalties between Rs 10,000 and Rs 1 lakh. This communication shows, the residential colonies have been made responsible.

More than two years have passed since the notification of new rules. What is the progress? There are some stray success stories. Some residential colonies have adopted 100% waste segregation. Some cities like Alappuzha in Kerala and Indore in Madhya Pradesh are examples worth to mention.

But overall, the picture is gloomy.

The Supreme Court in the matter of In Re: Outrage as Parents End Life After Child Dengue levied penalties on some states and union territories that failed to frame policies in furtherance of Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016. The Court observed that “In case the States have the interest of the people in mind and cleanliness and sanitation, they should frame a policy in terms of the Solid Waste Management Rules so that the States remain clean.”

I am hoping, the Swachh Bharat Mission will prove to be a game changer and public bodies will create infrastructure for composting and processing of waste, and we will see less of garbage filling the landfills.

Source segregation is the key

Municipal bodies have launched massive segregation campaigns, and people are colour-coded bins are being given colour-coded bins. In public areas, green and blue bins are replacing traditional containers. It is necessary that waste segregation at source becomes a people’s movement. Many NGOs are working in this field. I work with one such spreading the message Well-being Out of Waste (WOW) program of the FMCG and hospitality major ITC. We influenced segregation habits in many households. Children can be a useful contributor because they have the power to influence their families and can also take part in awareness campaigns.

To tackle the challenge of source segregation, I propose we call upon the power of a split second. How important can a split second be? Allow me to make my case.

Each time we throw an item in the trash, it is bound to reach and add to the magnificence of the landfill finally. If instead, we take a moment to evaluate whether this waste item fits into a particular category – dry, wet, hazardous, or e-waste – and discard it accordingly, it can be scientifically processed with benefits instead of being dumped into the landfill. It takes only a split second to make an environment-friendly decision. I hope all citizens unite and promise to make such split-second decisions a deeply entrenched habit. In this mission, we can contribute towards better earth to live in.

Times Newspaper in Education (Times NIE) is a novel program that helps students
‘Stay Ahead’ and aims at making ‘Learning Fun’. It introduces concepts that help
individual growth and development beyond school curriculum. A brainchild of The
Times of India, the world’s leading English

newspapers,Times NIE nurtures progress and innovation. Adapted from the international concept,
Times Newspaper in Education program (Times NIE) was initiated in India in 1985.
Today we have over 2000 schools and over 9 lac students subscribing to the programme,
spanning 12 cities viz. Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Bangalore, Lucknow, Chandigarh, Hyderabad,
Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Chennai, Nagpur and Jaipur.

The Times of India Student edition, a customized student newspaper exclusively for
the students, packs a powerful punch in terms of content that leads to a smarter
and superior learning experience. The information is crafted such that it finds
use in classroom discussions, thus making it relevant and current. It truly gives
education a new dimension by fostering the simple habit of reading which in turn
paves the way for a confident, informed and aware individual. A newspaper that inspires
young minds and equips them to face challenges of today’s world; making way for
global citizens.

Empowering students with new cutting-edge knowledge through various educative and
informative activities is a commitment and tradition of Times NIE. The programme
serves as a catalyst of education and interaction, as well as a window into the
minds of the quintessential Indian youth. On a significant scale Times NIE comprises
diverse interesting activities and events that boost the child’s passion for learning,
while revealing hidden talent.

While you are aware that The Times of India is among the leading English Newspapers
across the world, it has consummated its position as an everlasting winner. With
several international awards and recognitions to its credit, The Times of India
and Times NIE have validated an enduring tradition of setting the highest benchmarks
in every respect.

We have been awarded with the two most prestigious awards, Times NIE - World’s No.1
NIE program and The Times of India, Student Edition - World’s No.1 Newspaper for
the youth in 2006 by the celebrated World Association of Newspapers (WAN). More
recently in 2008 we were honoured by the International Newspaper Marketing Association
(INMA), yet another international recognition for ‘Youth Audience Development’.

Times NIE has grown remarkably over the last two decades, touching millions of children
across more than 12 Indian cities. Our absolute commitment towards the fledgling
generation remains undiluted and our greatest strength lies in your partnership
and commitment.